Washington, 18 September 1996 (RFE/RL) - Robert Dole, the U.S. Republican Party presidential nominee, says he will continue to press for universal recognition of the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in 1915.
Dole made the pledge in a message congratulating Armenians on the fifth anniversary Saturday of their independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Dole told Armenians: "You must remain confident that until the acknowledgement of the 1915-1923 Genocide receives universal acceptance. I will stand with you to set right the historical record."
He congratulated Armenians on the anniversary and pledged his "unwavering solidarity" with the Armenian people.
Armenians contend the Ottoman Turkish Empire pursued a deliberate policy of genocide against its Armenian subjects. Turkey disputes this, saying the deaths of Armenians were the result of wartime conditions, and not a government plot.